Source Publisher Clears Up Diddy's Comments About President Obama | Music News

Source Publisher Clears Up Diddy's Comments About President Obama | Music News

Published February 2, 2011

This week, FOX News and a few other mainstream media outlets have been covering comments about President Obama made by Diddy in the new Source Magazine which features Diddy on the cover. In the February/March issue, released just in time for Black History Month, Diddy talks about the President, his new album Last Train To Paris, and Black power.

But it's his comments about President Obama that have been making some waves. "I just want the President to do better," says Diddy, a quote that is prominently placed on the first page of the interview. "There's a difference between us voting for somebody and us believing in somebody. He's the person that we believed in..."

In an exclusive interview with BET.com, the magazine's Publisher L. Londell McMillan talked about the right of the hip hop community to express these views in a magazine that has traditionally covered politics as well as the music. McMillan explains, "The Source has always been the bible of hip hop music, culture and politics. It’s never been just a rap magazine. Our goal is to give a voice to the culture to allow them to express themselves. We intend to be very active in what’s happening going forward, not just musically, but politically."

When asked specifically about the spin that FOX News took on the story, McMillan defended Diddy and explained how the Network has continually used these opportunities to push their own agenda. "FOX sensationalizes the news and often portrays democratic figures in a bad light. It was a critical interpretation of a positive story in a supportive interview for the President. I was proud that Puff was able to both support the President while at the same time share his views and thoughts on what he would like to see."

In the article, Diddy spoke more in depth about President Obama, though FOX and other outlets have neglected to use the more supportive quotes. "Being President is a hard job and there's a couple more years left [in Obama's term]. Hopefully he'll have four more years after that," Diddy is also quoted saying.

As far as battling it out on national television, McMillan plans to continue the dialogue about the issues Diddy discussed in his article. He says, "We intend to have a debate. [FOX news] has reached out to us, but what we don’t want to do is just be used as a political sword against anyone, but we intend to address the story when appropriate."